Herter Park Being Transformed on April
29th to Celebrate 1.5 Million American Shad in the Charles
River
People of all Ages are Invited to Soldiers Field Road Festival
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Photo by John Wilcox © Boston Herald
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On Sunday, April 29, CRWA is transforming Herter Park on Soldier’s Field Road in Brighton into a festive theme park which celebrates and educates about life in the Charles River and in its watershed. Between 10am and 3:30pm people of all ages are invited to view exhibitions, board a riverboat for an Eco Boat trip, experiment with a watershed model and celebrate the introduction of 1.5 million juvenile American Shad into the Charles River. Mimicking the entertaining, yet educational atmosphere of Disney’s Epcot theme park, activities will transport visitors into the world of fish and other animals living in the Charles River, which is now clean enough to support native species.
This spring, CRWA is inviting thousands to learn more about water quality and quantity issues through the prism of the scientific lens. Environmental science is a fascinating field. Through a series of interactive experiences, CRWA will bring the field of limnology to light for over 10,000 people in celebrating our 25th Annual Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak Race and shoreline festival. The exhibitions and activities planned throughout the day will bring pertinent, technical information about the inner workings of water resource planning and urban water design.
Animals and plants native to a healthy river are being safe guarded by CRWA and we are celebrating those efforts by launching CRWA’s Adopt a Shad campaign at the festival. Fish shaped helium balloons will be available for purchase; buying a Shad balloon includes a membership to CRWA as well as the opportunity to support the shad restoration project. To adopt a shad online, click here! Featured throughout the day will be displays and activities that showcase CRWA's methods in protecting and preserving the Charles River and its watershed. Displays about the Shad life cycle, an anadromous fish that migrates to the ocean and returns to spawn, and other and river fish populations are sure to fascinate. As will information about the obstacles that these fish overcome as they travel in the Charles River. CRWA assembled a team of government agencies to work together in restoring native populations. Representatives from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the Conte Center for Fish Passage, National Center for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are offering their expertise throughout the day.
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ACTIVITIES SHOWCASING CRWA'S SCIENCE WORK: Exhibit: Blue City Planning CRWA is transforming three highly distressed urban sites with water sustainability techniques. They are Longwood Medical Area, Harvard’s Allston Campus and neighborhoods north of the Zakim Bridge in Somerville and Cambridge. By entering the planning process in its earliest stages, CRWA is creating a streamlined permitting process, saving developers money and restoring the land – water relationship.
Exhibit: Ecologically Sustainable Water Policies - Maintaining Water for People and for Nature Sustaining the natural flows of water and precious cycles of life drives CRWA’s work in advancing water policies and conservation approaches. Finding the balance between meeting human needs for water and sustaining freshwater ecosystems is work where CRWA is leading the way. Displays about our smart growth water resource planning, water banking and other policy initiatives will be displayed. CRWA’s scientists and legal experts are the forefront of careful planning and management so that human needs for water can be met while minimally altering the natural flow patterns that sustain ecosystem health. For practical ideas on how to save money and water, The Irrigation Association of New England will be on hand displaying the newest irrigation technologies.
Exhibit: Restoring Native Plants and Animals to Fresh Water in New England Twelve percent of known animal species inhabit freshwater environments. Increasingly, these habitats are stressed. One-fifth of freshwater fish are either extinct or seriously endangered. Working collaboratively with the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department and other government agencies, CRWA is restoring native fish to the Charles River. Displays will illustrate the life cycle of the American Shad a population of anadromous fish that once thrilled in the Charles River. Learn the distinction between invasive and native plants and animals and why this affects the river’s habitat. Experts on the sediments layers in the river’s bottom layers will be on hand, as well as information about the design and production of working fish ladders.
While touring the river on the Henry Longfellow Riverboat, passengers will discover how the industrial revolution and construction on the river have affected the riverine native populations. They will conduct water sample tests and other scientific experiments used at CRWA to measure the river’s health. A three dimensional topographical model of a watershed will be an activity on board to help demonstrate the land – water relationship. Passengers will leave the trip equipped with “Captain Hydro – A Comic Book Water Conservation Workbook” printed compliments of BISCO Irrigation and Plumbing Equipment company.
Fly Fishing and Casting Clinic Volunteers from the Massachusetts Council of Trout Unlimited are setting up a fly fishing clinic to assist youth with the delicate art of casting and tying flies. L.L. Bean will be providing the rods.
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Before swimming in the Charles, be sure and catch the presentations on the river's toxic sediments, seasonal toxic algal growth and CRWA‘s work to end combined sewage overflows into the Charles. CRWA champions the river through legislative and policy remedies that protect water resources; promotes "blue building” techniques that conserve water and works with industries to prevent river and wildlife destruction.
CRWA is addressing various strains that cities place on the river. In an exhibition tent, visitors will learn about CRWA’s work in defending environmentally safe regulations for water withdrawals. Put on the “predict the future glasses” to see how our cities will look in the future when “Blue Building” techniques are implemented. Low impact development techniques, championed by CRWA, are designed to alleviate sending billions of gallons of potable water into the ocean, meanwhile draining this abundant resource from city water supplies and the region’s underground rivers (aquifers).
Volunteers needed!
Would you like to help host activities or sell shad balloons at CRWA's Science Festival? Click here for information on volunteer opportunities.
What is the Cambridge Science Festival?
This year, CRWA’s Run of the Charles will be held in conjunction with the Cambridge Science Festival, being held April 21-29, 2007. Taking a page from First Night, Boston’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration, the festival will feature a series of science- and technology-themed events held at various venues over nine days. The Run of the Charles will be listed as one of the events.
The Cambridge Science Festival, the first of its kind in the United States, is a celebration showcasing Cambridge and the region as an internationally-recognized leader in science and technology. It will offer a wide range of events – creative exhibitions, plays, concerts, poetry readings, lectures, demonstrations and debates. It’s designed to make science accessible, interactive and fun, and will highlight the impact that science has on our lives. This year’s theme is Science in the City.
Designed to be an inclusive public celebration, the festival’s Science in the City events are mobilizing academic, educational and commercial scientific resources to showcase science and technology in Cambridge and Boston to increase citizens' awareness of local science-based opportunities, activities and resources. The central themes highlighted this year are: Innovation, Science in Everyday Life, Energy and Creativity. Cambridge Mayor Ken Reeves, Cambridge Schools Superintendent Thomas Fowler-Finn and Marita Rivera, Vice President for Television and Radio at WGBH, look forward to showcasing the city’s hidden science treasures. Activities throughout the city will culminate with a laser light show on the Charles River at the end of the Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak Race, sponsored by CRWA.
Science Festival partners include MIT and Harvard Universities, City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Schools, Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge Public Health and Safety, the WGBH Educational Foundation and the Boston Museum of Science. MIT’s Kate Bernhardt and Ellen Bluestein are coordinating the festival activities. John Durant, Director of MIT Museum, invited CRWA to be a collaborating Charter Sponsor in planning and implementing the festival. By linking CRWA with this larger event, we will gain greater visibility for the race and showcase CRWA’s long standing affiliations with captains in the greater academic and scientific community. Coverage of all Cambridge Science Festival activities will be extensive, so the crowds at our shoreline festival will certainly be positively impacted.
For more information on the Cambridge Science Festival, visit their
website at
www.cambridgesciencefestival.org, or check back soon for updates!